The Book Cipher
by riley-poole27
Summary: Riley and Ben travel to Cape May after discovering an old map in an antique book. Rated T for language and some violence.
1. Chapter 1

It begain with the listless feeling brought on by a sunday afternoon. Riley Poole was lying on the expensive leather couch in his best friend's living

room. His sneakered feet were dangling off the armrest. He was reading a novel, completely engrossed, when Abigail entered the room. She took one

look at her friend, frowning. "Riley!" She admonished him, putting her hand on her hip. "Take your feet off the couch."

Riley looked up at her, guiltily sitting upright and brushing off the seat beside him. He always instantly complied when she took that tone with him. She

sounded like a mom scolding her kid. "That's better," She told him. Abigail sat beside him, picking up her magazine from the coffee table in front of her.

They both read their respective literature in silence for a few minutes, until Riley closed his book and glanced over at Abigail.

"I'm bored," He whined at her, sounding a few years younger then his real age.

Abigail rolled her eyes, and tried to ignore him. She determinedly stared at the article she was reading, as Riley continued talking. She stole a glance in

his direction, only to see him giving his best puppy dog eyes. She could see it in her peripheral vision. "Riley, i'm trying to read." Abigail snapped at him,

annoyed. Riley looked a little hurt. He quickly looked down at his lap, staring at his fidgety hands. "Sorry. Jeez, Abigail."

Abigail felt her heart tug a little, and she quickly tried to soften her tone. "No. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you." Abigail closed her magazine

and placed it back on the coffee table. She checked her watch.

"Ben's not going to be finished his seminar for a few hours. What say me and you do something fun?" Abigail asked, standing up. Riley squinted up at

her, a smile forming. "Really? Sure. What do you want to do? We could go to the mall, or catch a movie. Oh, hey the arcade is open! Or maybe -"

Abigail put her hand up to cut him off. "I was thinking a museum or something," She suggested, putting on her jacket. Riley shook his head, then

continued talking in his usual breakneck pace.

"Museums are kinda boring. Besides you said something fun. Hey Abigail, what's your favourite arcade game?"

Abigail considered the question for a minute, before realizing that she honestly had no idea, since she rarely set foot in an arcade. They got into her

car, and closed the doors.

"I don't even know. Let's go play some games, and i''ll give you my answer after we try some out." Abigail told him, as she buckled her seatbelt.

She had no inclination to go to the arcade, but she knew that it would make Riley happy. She still felt a little guilty for snapping at him earlier.

When they arrived at the mall, Riley put a twenty dollar bill in the change machine, and received a massive amount of quarters. Abigail and Riley spent

the better part of an hour at the arcade, dancing to a few songs of DDR, before trying out Skee Ball, Asteroid, and Air Hockey.

Abigail had her heart set on a Barn Owl stuffed animal in one of the claw games, which Riley won for her. It took him six quarters to win the Owl. Abigail

hugged the toy to her chest as she wandered the arcade, aware of the fact that she was by far the oldest customer. There were mostly small kids with

their parents, and a few teenagers hanging out with their friends.

Riley fit in easily to the younger crowd - with his blue hoody, jeans, and converse hightops. She watched him with amusement as he bit his lip in deep

concentration. He was playing an old school fighting game. "Come on," Riley murmured, pounding the buttons as fast as he could. He finally stepped

away from the game, and turned towards her, grinning. "High score," He said, gesturing at the game behind him.

Once they'd used all their quarters, they handed in the tickets they'd accumulated. "Two hundred," the clerk told them, pointing to the shelves below

the register. "Anything on these here shelves." Abigail took one look at the cheap toys and candy prizes, and shook her head a little. "Pick whatever

you want, Riley." She told him. She waited while he scrutinized the glass case of toys, before finally deciding on three lollipops and a Batman bouncy

ball. He handed her a blueberry lollipop, shoving the rest of the items deep into his jeans pocket.

Abigail led Riley to the bookstore, where they spent time checking out each section. Riley stayed in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section primarily, while

Abigail tended to wander down each aisle. She was an avid reader, and felt instantly at home in the large bookstore. She rarely left a bookstore without buying a book.

Riley enjoyed the trip to the bookstore as well, but after about twenty minutes, he was ready to go. He grew bored waiting for Abigail to decide which

book she was going to buy. Riley wandered down the aisles, until he spotted her in the Mystery section, reading the back of a novel.

"Abi, it's been an hour," Riley told her, crossing his arms. "Can we go now?" Abigail continued reading. "I'm not done yet." She told him,

continuing to read the book's summary.

"Okay...well. I'm bored...Um, I'm going to the flea market down the hall. Meet me there?" He asked, backing up. She threw him a half-wave, finally lifting

her eyes from the book. "I'll meet you there." Abigail told him.

Riley left the bookstore, and walked through the crowded mall to the Flea Market. He'd noticed a sign advertising the sale after they'd left the arcade

earlier. It was in an empty storefront that used to be a children's clothing store last year. Now, it was filled with all sorts of interesting items, set out on

foldable plastic tables. The table nearest the entrance window instantly caught his attention, as it had a large display of vintage gaming consoles,

boxes of comic books, and various electronics.


	2. Chapter 2

Riley was digging through a pile of Spiderman and Thor comics, looking for specific comics for his collection, when Abigail tapped him on the shoulder.

She looked at the comics in his hand, smiling.

"Find anything good?" She asked him. He nodded, and held up Marvel Team-Up number 135. "Nice," Abigail commented. The cover showed Spiderman

and Kitty Pryde.

They moved on to the other tables, not really finding anything particularily interesting. Mostly kids toys and clothing. Abigail spotted a table covered

with antiques, mostly dishes and records. There was a small pile of books on the table, which she quickly zeroed in on. "These are fascinating," Abigail

whispered, carefully looking through some of the books. She paid for the stack of books, putting them in a plastic bag, and handing them to Riley to

carry. They left the mall, to go pick up Ben at the University.

When they pulled up, Ben was already standing on the sidewalk waiting for them. Riley hopped out, and got into the backseat, so Ben could sit in the

front with Abigail.

"Hey Ben," Riley told his friend, as Ben leaned over to kiss his girlfriend on the cheek. "How was your seminar? We were just at the mall, and we

bought some old books and stuff. And we played some games at the arcade." Riley filled him in as Abigail pulled into traffic. He suddenly remembered

the lollipop he'd won a few hours ago, and dove into his pocket to retrieve it.

"Here, I got you a lollipop," Riley tapped Ben's shoulder, and passed it to him. "I won each of us a sucker. Your's is banana flavoured."

Ben started to tell Abigail everything that had happened to him at the seminar, and about a few of the people he'd met at the University. The

conversation sounded a little boring, so Riley started to faze out as he continued reading his new comic book.

"...Riley! Earth to Riley." Ben called, smirking, as he turned in his seat to look at his friend. Riley looked up at him, closing the book.

"We were wondering where you wanted to eat tonight. Remember, we're going to dinner tonight?" Ben explained. Riley thought about it for a second

before answering. "Umm... I don't know. Chinese?" He opened his book and continued reading.

Ben smiled, as he turned back in his seat. "You owe me five bucks," Ben whispered to his girlfriend. They'd made a bet earlier on what type of

restaurant Riley would pick for dinner. Riley was incredibly stubborn, and would only choose his two favourite types of foods; chinese, and hamburgers.

Abigail pulled a fiver out of her purse, and handed it to Ben as they walked into the restaurant. Riley stopped walking, and raised his eyebrows.

"What's the money for?" He questioned, looking at Abigail. She shrugged, not answering his question. "Wait - you're not betting on me again, are

you?" He grimaced at her. Abigail laughed at his facial expression, looping her arm around Riley's. They walked into the restaurant behind Ben.


	3. Chapter 3

Ben crawled into bed, and pulled the blanket over him. Abigail was curled up on her side of the bed, reading one of the books she'd bought at the flea

market that afternoon. He picked up a pile of handwritten notes off the nightstand, studying his lecture he'd been preparing for the next week.

"What are you reading?" Ben asked her. She raised the book's cover off the blanket so he could read the title. Tree of Civilization. The book was worn

looking, with a frayed spine. The Title and cover design was in gold.

"There was a man selling antique books at the flea market," Abigail told him, returning to her novel. Ben recognized the book, as he'd read a copy in his

grandpa's collection when he was much younger. When he was done checking over his notes, he flicked off the lamp, and settled into bed.

"Goodnight, Ben." Abigail told him, continuing to read. The lamp on her side of the room stayed on, because she was planning on staying up for a while.

When Ben woke up, it was almost ten o'clock in the morning. Abigail had long since left for work at the National Archives. He showered and dressed,

making his way into the kitchen to make breakfast.

Ben turned on the TV to CNN to catch up on the news, his plate of eggs and toast balanced on his lap. He ate slowly, watching the various stories on

the TV. When he was done, he set the plate on the coffee table. As he did, Ben noticed that there were a few of Abigail's books in a pile on the table.

He picked up the book on the top of the stack, and leaned back into the couch.

As he started to read it, Ben noticed a few times that someone had inked in a series of seemingly random letters in the margin. He wondered what it

meant, and why someone had chosen to write in the book. As he continued to read the book, he came across three more of these strange markings. It

piqued Ben's interest, and he got up to get a scrap of paper to copy down the notations. He thought perhaps it was some sort of code or cipher.


	4. Chapter 4

Riley drove up the driveway, and parked his vehicle beside the impressive building. He walked up to the front door, and rung the doorbell. After a moment, Abigail opened the door. She was wearing a black sweater, with an emerald necklace. She stepped back to let him in, smiling.

"Hi Abigail," Riley greeted his long-time friend, walking into the foyer. Everytime he went to Ben and Abigail's house, he couldn't help but look around with admiration. It was a large estate that had been built centuries ago. They had purchased the house with their cut of the treasure money, whereas Riley had spent his portion on an expensive red Ferrari.

Ben was sitting on the couch in the living room, book in hand, when Riley entered the room. Ben was older then both his girlfriend and his best friend, as he was in his mid-forties. He had dark hair that was receding, and was a head taller then Riley.

Ben called Riley and asked him he could come over after work. He didn't tell his friend about the possible cipher he found in Abigail's book. He wanted to tell him in person. Ben was excited at the possibility of having another adventure he could throw himself into.

Ben was so engrossed with his book that he didn't even realize Riley had arrived, until he heard the TV being switched on, and looked up to see him sitting a few feet away. Riley started flipping through channels absently, not really looking for any particular program.

Ben slipped his bookmark into the book, and placed it on the coffee table in front of him. Riley finally settled on an episode of "The Office", and looked up at his friend.

"Have you seen this one? It's pretty funny."

"I don't think so," Ben responded.

They watched the TV for the better part of an hour, before they were interrupted by the doorbell. Riley looked up at Ben, wondering who was at the door.

"I invited my parents to the dinner." Ben explained to him, before continuing to watch the show.

"Ok, cool." Riley smiled at the ageing couple as they came into the living room. Patrick Gates and Emily had been seperated for years, until the Cibola treasure had brought them together again. She was a University professor. Although they often still bickered, they had remained together for the last few years.

The meal was nice. Patrick and Ben talked for most of the meal about ancient history. Riley took a dinner roll out of the basket and started to butter it.

"How are you doing lately, Riley?" Emily asked him.

"Pretty good." He answered her. Things were good. He had a steady job, and a nice apartment. He was thinking of getting a cat.

When the dinner was over, Ben asked Riley if he could show him something in the living room. Riley followed him, and sat down on the couch.

Ben opened Abigail's book and passed it to him.

"Abigail bought this book at the mall the other day." Ben told him.

"Yeah, I know. I was there." Riley reminded him.

"Oh, right. I found these letters on the side of the margin. I think it's a cipher." Ben said, pointing to the page.

"A cipher? Really? What does it say?" Riley asked.

"I don't know yet. I discovered it this morning. I wonder if it's about a treasure." Ben told him.

Riley scoffed a little, before realizing his friend was being completely serious.

"Ben. Not everything leads to a treasure." He told him.

"Then help me solve it. Prove me wrong." Ben told him, taking out the piece of folded looseleaf from the book.


	5. Chapter 5

They worked hard on the cipher for hours, until they were able to decipher it. Ben read the message out loud. " Map to Cape May treasure."

"What does that mean?" Riley looked at Ben.

"Cape May is where Captain Kidd's treasure was supposed to be buried."

"The pirate?" Riley asked.

"Yeah." Ben told him.

"So, we solved the cipher. But where's the map?" Riley asked him, confused.

"I don't know." Ben said, picking up the book. He flipped through the pages, but he didn't see any other messages written in the book.

"Maybe it fell out?" Riley suggested. "This book is pretty old."

Riley took the book from Ben, and looked at the spine. "Volume II" He pointed it out to Ben.

"What if the treasure map is in Volume I?" He asked.

Ben got up, and checked the pile of books Abigail had brought home. Volume I was not there. He came back to Riley, and sat down.

"I have to do a seminar at the University, but if you can pick me up afterwards we can go back to the mall and see if the other book is there." Ben told him.

It was really late, so Riley drove back home. He had to work in the morning, then he would meet Ben at the University.

When they entered the storefront in the mall, Riley pointed out which table had sold them the book. Ben walked over, and shook hands with the man as he introduced himself.

"Hello, my girlfriend bought a book here a few days ago. I was wondering if you have the first volume in the series still available?" Ben told him, showing him the copy of his book.

"Ah yes!" The man told him, reaching under the table and pulling out a cardboard box of books. He rifled through it for a moment, then pulled out an identical book. He passed it to Ben, who checked the spine. Volume I. Ben opened the book and looked through it. There was a map drawn on the back page. As soon as Ben saw the map, he closed the book.

"I'll take it." He told the man. "How much is it?"

"Five bucks."

Ben handed him a five dollar bill, and they left the mall carrying both volumes. Riley unlocked the car and they drove to Ben's house.

"Riley, can you take time off work?" Ben asked him.

"I'd have to ask my boss." Riley said. "But yeah, probably. I have some vacation days."

"How does a trip to Cape May sound?" Ben asked.


	6. Chapter 6

Ben and Riley arrived at Cape May on Friday afternoon. Ben had driven them down in his car. They pulled into the parking lot at the hotel, and got out.

"Excited?" Riley asked, as they took their luggage out of the backseat.

"Definitely." Ben told him.

They put their bags down at the reception desk.

"Hello, I booked a room over the phone. Last name is Gates." Ben told the woman. She looked it up, and gave him two plastic keycards for their room.

Their room was on the second floor. It was spacious, with two queen beds, and a large flat screen TV. The room had a large computer desk and chair, and a comfortable blue couch.

"Nice," Riley said, throwing his bags onto the bed. He looked out the window for a moment, admiring the view. The Inn was right across from the beach, and he could see the ocean stretch out for miles. "That's quite a view."

Ben took the phonebook and flipped it open to the yellowpages. He started to jot down phone numbers onto a sheet of paper.

Riley looked over at him. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"I have to make some phone calls. I'm renting two metal detectors for the week, and some supplies."

"Alright." Riley said, taking out his laptop.

They went to supper that evening at a small downtown restaurant. Ben asked if they could drop by the bookstore on the way back to the hotel.

"I want to get some local history books." Ben told him.

The bookstore was closing in an hour, so they split up and started browsing through the stacks of books. Riley started to look through the local history section. He picked out a few interesting looking books, then walked over to Ben.

"What'd you find?" He asked.

"Local writer published a book on Cape May and pirate treasure." Ben told him, showing him the cover. "I think we should pay him a visit, sounds like he'd be helpful."


	7. Chapter 7

Henry Rawlins was in his fifties, with dark, brown hair and greying temples. When he answered the door, he had a ballpoint pen stuck behind his ear and remnants of his sandwich on his shirtfront.

"I'm looking for Henry Rawlins, the author of "Cape May's Guide to Treasure."" Ben told the man.

Rawlins stuck out his hand, obnoxiously. "Well, you found him. If you're looking for pirate treasure, i'm your man."

Ben shook his hand, then followed the writer into the house. The living room was cluttered with bookcases stuffed full of books and coiled notebooks. It was a mess.

"Take a seat, fellows." Henry told them, dumping the contents of the armchair in a pile on the floor. Riley sat gingerly on the edge of the dirty couch, not wanting to get his clothes soiled. Ben sat down beside him.

"My name is Ben Gates," he started. "And this is my friend, Riley Poole. We are visiting Cape May and were looking for someone to tell us about the treasure. I found your book in the local bookstore, so we figured we'd drop by."

"This is my area of expertise." Henry said, grinning. "Planning on finding Captain Kidd's treasure while you're in town?"

Riley started a little. "How did you know?" He blurted out. Henry laughed out loud at his reaction.

"Tons of tourists come to this town, thinking they can find the mystical pirate treasure. People thinking they can just swoop in here and become millionaires overnight. That treasure has been searched for for years. Believe me, thousands have combed the beaches with metal detectors hoping to find it. This isn't something new, you know." Henry said.

"Now, the name Gates I am familiar with. I take it you're the same Gates who found the missing Templar treasure a few years back?" He asked.

Ben nodded. "Yes, that's me." He said.

"Got any maps leading you to the treasure?" Henry asked, leaning forward excitedly in his chair. "What I mean is, if you two are going to finding this treasure, mind if I tag along? It's been an interest of mine since I was young."

"Uh . . . I may take you up on that." Ben told the man, politely.

Riley looked at Ben, a bit surprised. "Really?" He asked.

"But unfortunately," Ben continued talking. "We are just tourists on vacation. You're welcome to join us this afternoon while we comb the beach with metal detectors. Who knows, we may find an old coin or two."

"You're vacationing in Cape May at this time of year?" Henry asked them, suspicious. "It's too cold for swimming. This place is pretty quiet off-season."

Ben shrugged. "Cape May is full of history. We're just spending a week away from home to relax, take in the sights."

Henry stood up, and pulled a large, navy blue book off the top shelf of his bookcase. He handed it to Ben.

"Here." He said. "This is a good place to start for local history. You can borrow it for a while, if you want."

Ben thanked him, and they stood up to leave.

"I meant what I said earlier, though. If you get even a whiff of treasure, you'll call me, right?" Henry told Ben, earnestly. "Here, I'll give you my phone number."

Ben stuck the phone number into his pocket, and followed Riley out of the house.

"Wow, he's a bit pushy." Riley commented. "That guy sounds obsessed with finding treasure in this place."

"Yeah." Ben answered, deep in thought.

"Ben, why didn't you show him the map?"

"I don't want to show anyone yet, until we can check it out in person. Don't want to cause a riot of other treasure hunters breathing down our necks."

"Like Henry."

"Exactly." Ben told him.


	8. Chapter 8

Riley and Ben picked up their metal detectors, and walked down to the beach. It was an overcast afternoon, and the beach crowd was sparse. Riley put his headphones on, and started to scan the detector over the sand.

They spent an hour scanning the beach but they didn't find anything of value. Small change, bottle caps, random bits of metal. Nothing remarkable.

"You hungry?" Riley asked. He pointed out the hot dog stand down the beach. "Let's go check if they're open."

They bought two hotdogs and drinks. As soon as they sat down on the pier to eat, a flock of seagulls swarmed them. Riley started to rip up his hotdog bun into tiny pieces and throwing it in their direction. They watched the seagulls fight over the scraps.

"Thought you were hungry." Ben told him. "Waste of your bun."

Riley shrugged, and continued to feed the seagulls. He quickly ran out of bread, so Ben donated half his bun. They were about to leave, when Ben pointed out a man walking in their direction along the beach. He was wearing a black windbreaker and jeans.

"Isn't that Henry?" Ben asked. Riley squinted at the figure, but he was unable to tell if it was Henry or someone else.

"Can't tell." He said, wishing he'd brought his glasses.

They watched the man as he got closer, until there was no question that it was, indeed the author.

"Henry." Ben said, giving him a nod.

"Ben, Riley. Glad I caught up with you. Find anything interesting?" Henry asked them.

"If you count beer bottle caps and nickels interesting." Riley told him.

"No old coins, then?"

"Not yet." Ben said.

Henry asked Riley if he could use his metal detector, and Riley obliged. The three of them walked along the beach, until it began to get dark out.

"What say we drop these detectors off at your hotel, then go get some food?" Henry suggested, as the sun disappeared below the horizon. Ben took the headphones off, and turned off his machine.

"Do you guys like seafood? I know a great clam restaurant."

They left the beach, and walked back to their hotel. It was a half mile away. When Ben pointed out their hotel to Henry, the ageing writer broke into a grin.

"You're staying at the SeaCrest Inn?" Henry asked them. "My sister-in-law works here, at the reception desk."

They went up to their hotel room, and dropped off the metal detectors. Riley quickly changed into jeans and a t-shirt. When he came out of the bathroom, Henry was on the balcony. Ben was digging through his suitcase, looking for something to wear. He chose a dark green sweater, and pulled it on over his shirt.

"Ready to go?" Ben asked, picking up his wallet and his room key.

The restaurant was comfortable, with long wooden benches, and fishermen's nets decorating the walls. The waiter came and took their order, and gave them their drinks.

"So, how you liking Cape May so far?" Henry asked them, as he stirred his coffee.

"It's a very nice city." Ben told him.

"You guys have some great beaches here." Riley told him, as he sipped his coke.

Once they were done their meal, Henry and Ben went back to the hotel to do some more research. Riley decided to go for a walk.

Ben took out the book Henry had given him, and laid it on the bed. He had a few books laid out, as well as the one Henry had penned. Henry sat down at the computer desk.

"Have you ever found anything exciting in the area?" Ben asked him, flipping open the book.

""No. Some locals in Del Haven have dug up gold and silver coins in the past." Henry told him. "Many people believe that Captain Kidd buried his coins in Cape May point."

"And what do you think?" Ben asked him.

"I think it's at the point." Henry said. "But people have been digging up that beach for years. You'd think somebody would've found it by now."

"Yeah."

"Is that why you're in town, Mr. Gates?" Henry asked. "Are you after buried treasure?"

"I'm just interested, that's all." Ben told him, steadily. Henry looked at him, not believing him for a second.

"Why deny it? Tons of people come here looking." Henry told him. "What are you and Riley doing tomorrow? Got anything interesting planned?"

Ben shook his head. "Haven't decided yet. Probably go down to the beach again."

"If you want, I can take you up to Cape May point. Show you around a little." Henry suggested.

"No, thank you. I know Riley mentioned he wanted to rent a kayak tomorrow. Try a bit of boating." Ben told him, firmly.

"Really? Are you sure? I know the area pretty well -"

"Henry, I said no." Ben told him, annoyed. "I'm sorry, but I won't have time to go to the point tomorrow. I told you, Riley wants to rent a kayak."

"Tell him to go on his own. I'll take you to Cape May Beach, and we can meet up with him afterwards."

"I'm here on vacation to relax and enjoy New Jersey. With my friend." Ben explained. "Now, if you'll excuse me I think it's time you go."

Ben showed him out of the hotel room, and laid back down on the bed. He sighed, annoyed. Riley came in a few minutes later.

"Hey, Ben. I just saw Henry in the lobby. Looked kinda pissed off." Riley said.

"Yeah. You're right, by the way. That guy is pretty pushy." Ben said. "He wanted to to take us to Cape May point tomorrow, and he wouldn't drop it after I said no."

"Oh."

"I told him you wanted to go kayaking."

"But, I hate kayaking!" Riley laughed.

"I know. I just, was getting a little creeped out by how persistent that guy was being." Ben explained. "I needed to think up an excuse to not go with him tomorrow. Sorry."

"It's fine. But . . .does this mean we actually have to go boating tomorrow?"

"No, Riley."


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning, Ben and Riley left the hotel early to go to the beach. They brought their metal detectors and continued to search the beach for anything metal. By mid-afternoon, they still hadn't found anything of value.

"Let's take a break," Ben said. "By the way, I think we should go up to Cape May Beach tomorrow. See if we can find anything from that map."

"When are we leaving?" Riley asked.

"Tomorrow morning. We should get an early start. How does Six AM

sound?" Ben asked him, packing up the metal detector.

"Like way too early." Riley joked.

Ben went back to the hotel to take a swim in the outdoor pool. When he got out, he discovered that there were two missed calls from the same number. Henry Rowlins. Ben sat down on the loungechair, and called him back.

"Hello?" Henry answered.

"Hey, it's Ben Gates."

"I was just calling to see how the research was doing."

"It's fine." Ben told him.

"Are you two going beach combing again today?"

"No, we just finished up."

"Oh, nice. Did you find anything?"

"No."

"Did you want to meet up for supper tonight? I can show you some great places in this city." Henry asked him.

"I'll have to ask Riley when he gets back in."

"My offer still stands to take you up to the Cape Bay point tomorrow."

"Oh, uh . . . That's very generous, Henry, but I haven't decided - "

"Well, when you do, make sure to call me up. Alright? I'd love to make the trip with you guys." Henry told him.

"Well, to be honest, Henry, I think it's better if it were just me and Riley." Ben told him. There was a long, awkward silence after Ben spoke. When Henry answered him, he sounded hurt.

"But . . . you said. . . I could go with you!" Henry said.

"I'm sorry, Henry. But I work better with just Riley." Ben told him. "I had initially only contacted you for research purposes."

Henry sighed. "Okay. . . I understand."

Ben hung up the phone, and put his phone down on the side table. He jumped back into the pool, and continued swimming.

Riley spent a few hours at the mall, then walked back to the hotel. The woman at reception waved him down as he was going up to his room. She handed him a written note.

"Your friend left this for you, said it was urgent." The woman told him. Riley thanked her, then unfolded the note.

"Riley - change of plans. Meet me at the pier when you get this note. Ben."

Riley thanked her, and jogged down to the beach. It was dark out, and the beach was deserted. Riley went to the pier, and looked around. Ben was nowhere in sight. He shivered a little, suddenly wishing he'd grabbed his hoody. Riley picked up a pile of small, flat rocks that somebody had left on the pier, and proceeded to chuck one into the water.

Riley had been hoping to make the flat rock skip the surface, but the rock sank into the choppy waves. He frowned, and was about to throw another one, when he heard footsteps behind him on the wooden dock.

"What's the big emergency, Ben?" Riley asked, not turning around.

"Ben's not coming." a man's voice told him. Startled, Riley turned around to see the familiar face of Henry Rawlins.


	10. Chapter 10

"Henry?" Riley asked, confused. He chucked the rock into the water, and turned to look at the older man. "What are you doing here?"

"I wrote that note. Ben doesn't know you came to the pier." Henry told him. "I wanted to talk to you, alone."

"Oh yeah?" Riley said, taking a step back. "Why?"

"Finding this treasure is all i've ever dreamed about. Since I was a kid, and beach combing with my parents. I've spent countless hours looking up newspaper clippings in the library, talking to treasure hunters, digging up the beaches looking for those missing coins. All I asked was that I go with you guys, I just want to see the treasure with my own eyes."

"Ben said you could go, what's the big deal?" Riley asked him, feeling a little bit confused.

"I called Ben today, and he said that I wasn't welcome to go with you guys. That he preferred working with just you." Henry told him.

"Oh." Riley said, feeling awkward. "Umm . . . I could talk to him, maybe he'll change his mind."

"Maybe he'll change his mind when you're out of the picture." Henry said, quietly.

Riley sputtered, not sure he'd heard him correctly. "W - What?"

"You heard me."

Henry grabbed Riley by the shirtfront, Riley tried to push him off but the man's grip was too strong.

"Get off me!" He yelled, struggling. He grabbed Riley's arm and wrenched it behind his back. Riley hollered in pain.

"Shut up!" Henry yelled.

"Let me go," Riley told him, but Henry hit hin in the mouth, hard.

"Shut up, you little bastard." He growled, raising his hand to hit him again.

Riley winced, anticipating another blow. It landed on his cheek, and he saw stars. There was a metallic taste in his mouth, and he spat out blood. Henry let go of Riley's arm.

"You gonna keep hitting me?" Riley asked, standing up and taking a step away from him.

"You deserve it." He told Riley, pushing him roughly. "You're worthless. Once you're gone, I will prove to Ben that I am the only person he needs to help him find this treasure, not some snarky tech wiz."

Riley fell down, banging his head against the wood. He put a hand on the back of his head, and was surprised to see blood. He felt sick in the pit of his stomach.

Henry leaned over Riley, and tried to pull him up by the arm. Riley scrabbled back, and kicked his arm away.

"Fuck off!" Riley yelled out. Riley was afraid of him, and he hated that Henry had that power over him. Henry pulled him to his feet by his arms, his grip painfully tight on Riley's upper arms. Henry suddenly pushed him backwards, and Riley's heart leapt into his throat as he fell off the pier.

It was a ten foot drop into the choppy waters. Riley crashed into the deep, murky water, swallowing a mouthful of icy water as he struggled to get to the surface. The water was freezing cold, and his chest was starting to hurt.

It was really dark out, and Riley could just barely see the silouette of Henry as he peered into the water to watch Riley struggling to stay afloat. Henry watched as a wave overtook Riley, and he disappeared under the water. Satisfied that Riley hadn't resurfaced, Henry turned and walked away.

Riley's body was numb, and he was starting to shiver. He swam towards the shore, until he was able to stand. The water reached up to his chest. Riley walked out of the water, and across the sandy beach. The wind tore through his soaked t-shirt and jeans, making his teeth chatter. He wrapped my arms around myself, as he reached the road.

It was late at night, nearly midnight, and there was no cars in either direction. Riley ran across the street, and onto the sidewalk. He walked the half mile back to the hotel, and knocked on the door. When Ben opened it, he saw his friend standing in the hallway in his wet clothes. Ben pulled Riley into the room and he sat down on the bed.

"What happened? Where were you?" Ben asked me, as he grabbed the blanket off the bed. He wrapped it around him.

"I ran into Henry." Riley told him, clutching the blanket. "I hate that guy."

"Why are so wet? Tell me what happened, Riley." Ben said.

"The p - pier." He stuttered, teeth still chattering.

"The pier?" Ben repeated, unsure if he'd heard correctly. Riley nodded.

"Are you okay?" Ben asked him.

"I'm fine." Riley told him, although he felt anything but fine. He was sore, and still freezing cold. Riley's head hurt from where he'd hit it, and he was still shivering uncontrollably.

"I'm gonna take a bath." Riley said, standing up. He shuffledto his suitcase to grab some dry clothes and his bodywash. He let go of the blanket reluctantly, and go into the bathroom.

Hedidn't emerge for another hour. His fingers were wrinkly when he finally got out of the bathroom, dressed in an oversized hoody and flannel pyjama pants. Ben was watching the news, and he looked at him when he entered the room. He still looked incredibly worried.

"You're not shivering anymore. That's good." He said.

"I got a note from the lady at reception, saying to meet you at the pier." Riley told him.

Riley crawled into his bed, and curled up under the blankets. It had been a really long day, and he was exhausted.

"I didn't write you a note." Ben told him. "I was here all night."

"Yeah, I think Henry wrote it. He was really pissed that you didn't want him to work with us, so he said he wanted me out of the picture. Henry pushed me off the pier." Riley told Ben.

"You could've drowned!" Ben exclaimed.

"Yeah." Riley told him. "G'night, Ben." He mumbled, falling asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Ben stayed up for another half an hour after Riley had gone to sleep. The TV was tuned to the local news, but he wasn't really paying it any attention. He was thinking about how his friend had been injured, and how he was starting to get a little worried that Henry Rawlins might cause them more trouble.

They got up early the next morning. It was still dark out, as they packed their bags to go to Cape May point. They each were bringing a backpack with clothing and food, and sleeping bags. Ben had a small tent in his bag, as well as a laminated photocopy of the map from Abigail's book.

"All set?" Ben asked, as he called the cab company.

Riley was lying on his bed with his eyes closed, trying to get a few more minutes of sleep before they headed out.

"Remind me again why we have to go there at such an ungodly hour." Riley said, his voice a little muffled from the pillow.

"We went over this, Riley. We are going there early so we will have the entire day to search for the buried chest of coins." Ben told him, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

"Couldn't we go, at like, Ten AM or something?" Riley asked.

"The cab will be here any minute. Now get up, and help me carry the bags downstairs, please." Ben told him.

Riley got up, and grabbed half of the bags. He was yawning all the way downstairs.

They got in the cab, and got dropped off at the entrance of the beach.

Ben put on his backpack, and carried the shovel and the map in his hands. He threw the other shovel to Riley, and they started walking on the path.

"Abigail is coming in on Friday," Ben told him. "She wanted to help us during the weekend."

"Cool." Riley said. "That'll be pretty awesome."

They stopped for breakfast, sitting down on a large rock to eat their apples and granola bars.

"Come on, we have a long walk ahead of us." Ben told him, as they put the remaining food back in their backpacks.

Riley was glad that they were hiking in the fall, the temperature was much cooler and much more bearable than it would've been had they been hiking in the hot summer. Also, the slight drizzle was keeping the bugs away.

They stopped again to eat lunch, and Ben tried to make a quick phone call to Abigail to let her know what they were doing, but there was no service.

"Darn." Ben said, putting his phone in the pocket of his backpack. "I told her I'd call her this afternoon. We won't be back in town until tomorrow. Well, I hope she doesn't get mad."

Riley could hear rushing water ahead of them on the path, and when he rounded the corner, he could see where the noise was coming from. The path was cut off by a large, rushing river. He could see a small bridge constructed with rope and wooden planks. The bridge swung precariously over the water, and Riley could see the path contined on into the woods on the other side.

"Uh . . . do we have to cross that?" Riley asked. "Like, is there a safer route?"

Ben rolled his eyes. "Riley, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this bridge." He told him. "It's the only way to get to the rest of the path, now stop being so silly."

Riley took a deep breath, and kept his eyes fixated on the woods. He didn't want to look down into the churning water. He was nearly across the bridge, when Riley heard the dreaded sound of one of the ropes snapping. The bridge started to collapse under his feet, and he rushed forward. Riley jumped as fast as he could, and landed on the rocky path.


End file.
